Rangers blank Devils in season finale

Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 20 shots he faced and Rick Nash scored twice as the New York Rangers silenced the New Jersey Devils, 4-0, in the season finale for both teams from Madison Square Garden.

Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan contributed a goal and assist each for the
Rangers (26-18-4), who finished the season in sixth place in the Eastern
Conference. The Rangers will play Washington in the first round of the
playoffs.

"You're (damn) right I'm proud of 'em. I like 'em. I think it's a good team,"
said Rangers head coach John Tortorella, after his club finished 9-3-1 since
the trade deadline to snag a postseason berth.

Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, notched his second shutout of
the season.

Johan Hedberg made 17 saves for the Devils (19-19-10), who lost for just the
second time in their last six to complete a season without playoff action.

"We were not good. It was a bad situation that we did not handle well," stated
Devils head coach Peter DeBoer.

Stepan opened the scoring at 2:37 of the first period, a one-timer from the
slot off a Callahan dish.

Callahan made it 2-0 shortly into a New Jersey power play, breaking up the
middle and beating Hedberg through the pads as he tried for a poke check
inside of a minute remaining in the first period.

New York assumed a 3-0 edge with 2:37 left in the second period, as Brad
Richards stole the puck from a Devils defender and fed in front to Nash for a
high wrister to the near side.

Nash struck again at the 5 1/2 minute mark of the third, the end point of a
three-way pass play which began between Mats Zuccarello and Richards.

Game Notes

The Rangers won three of four in the season series ... New York has beaten New
Jersey in seven of the last nine games in Manhattan ... Nash collected his
fourth multi-goal effort of the season ... The Devils were blanked for the
fourth time in the last 12 contests.